Cross-dressing rapper Mykki Blanco recently announced his own HIV positive diagnosis and challenged public perceptions of those with the illness.
Taking to his Facebook page, the New York rhymer wrote that he grew tired of keep his diagnosis a secret.
"I've been HIV positive since 2011, my entire career," Blanco shared. "F*ck stigma and hiding in the dark, this is my real life. I'm healthy I've toured the world 3 times but I've been living in the dark, it's time to actually be as punk as I say I am."
As noted by XXL, Blanco made his announcement as major cities including Brooklyn and Los Angeles kicked off their annual Pride week in celebration of the LGBT community.
He first brought forth his cross-dressing alter ego, Mykki Blanco, in 2010. He spoke to the hip-hop magazine about the trials of being himself back in 2013.
"My main trials and tribulations have come from thinking 'Will people understand that I'm doing different things at once?' One day I may choose to do a photoshoot in full drag, the next shoot I may be an alien, or I may choose to perform out of drag," he said. "A lot of people want musicians to have one image. If I had chosen to do that in a gimmicky way, it may have made things easier at first, but I would've lost out in the end because I would be a prisoner of a persona."
This past March marked the 20th anniversary of the passing of N.W.A. rapper Eazy-E. In March of 1995, the pioneer gangsta rapper died of AIDS, the condition or syndrome caused by the HIV virus. He is noted as one of the first major music performers to announce he had the disease.
"I just feel I've got thousands and thousands of young fans that have to learn about what's real when it comes to AIDS," Eazy said of his diagnosis.
He said he had not known he was HIV-positive and died at the age of 31.
Find out more about HIV and AIDS treatment, prevention and testing here.
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